A Mere Misunderstanding
by difficile
Summary: Our favorite ex-army captain wakes in the night to simply get a glass of water aboard the Strahl, but ends up hearing things a deprived, thirsty, and exhausted man should never, ever hear. Balthier/Vaan. Corny title.


**_A/n: Back again to help the XII fanfic list with its never-ending quest for BalVaan. This idea was just begging to be written._**

**_And this was supposed to be titled, "...Did He Just Say 'Harder'?!", but the fanfiction title-submission thing was being mean and wouldn't let me title it that. So here, have this corny title that makes me snort in amusement._**

**_Believe it or not, it's rude not to review._**

**_WARNINGS: Suggestive themes, boy/boy relationships._**

* * *

**A Mere Misunderstanding**

_xii – dead wrong_

* * *

Basch fon Ronsenburg was a hopeless insomniac; it was a rare feat of this man if he ever could grasp more than an hour's sleep, a treasure that he cherished for the mere reason that rest kept his mind off less-pleasant things. Now, aboard an unfamiliar airship with the most contrasting group of people he had ever been with, topped with the current conflicts of war and misunderstanding, sleep didn't even seem like a fathomable concept.

And so naturally this night didn't provide Basch with the pleasantry of rest, and the Landisan was driving himself mad by just staring at the dark, chrome-tinted ceiling of the _Strahl_. It was just far too difficult to get comfortable or to relax when such a state of sporadic chaos was happening in Ivalice every second, even in the dead of night. Basch sighed to himself and changed his position on the bed, ignoring the mattress' protesting creak. The bed below his tense body was too soft, the room too warm, and his pillows too flimsy – not that he really had room to complain, considering his previous state of a 'bed' that included chains, the stench of corpses, and a rusted cage.

Frustrated with the incessant, bothersome thoughts churning around inside his head, Basch sat up with a groan and swung his legs over the side of the bed. _Perhaps a glass of water will ease my nerves,_ the man thought, running a hand through his tousled blonde hair. The Strahl was always ridiculously warm, whether it was to shield the guests from the cold weather outside, or the airship's skystone that radiated heat even when stoic. Basch smacked his chapped lips and rubbed one hazy eye before expertly finding his way to the door in the dark. He opened it with courteous caution, for waking the princess in the room adjacent to his would only result in her highness being even more unpleasant than she already was.

The hall of the Strahl was just as dark as Basch's own room, save for the weak lighting of the moon that poured through the control-room's window. _There's a sink somewhere around here,_ Basch thought to himself, padding down the hall silently.

He was halfway to his set destination, the 'dining' area, when a quiet but strange noise caused the man's ears to perk up curiously. Basch paused mid-step and strained his ears again, hoping to catch the sound again.

"_Ahn…_" a quiet voice, barely above a whisper but breathy in its sound reached Basch's ears – a sigh, perhaps? Basch's dark eyes scanned the hallway and he resumed his walking, though making his steps as silent and stealthy as a knight-captain could. Several of these sounds, mostly identical to the first Basch heard but unfamiliar in its softness, were repeated again at sporadic intervals until the man finally found himself outside the source of the noises.

_Balthier's cabin?_ Basch thought, previous curiosity piqued. He glanced down at the floor and noticed a dim light leaking through the crack at the bottom of the door – interesting, indeed. It was nearly what, one in the morning? Though the sky pirate was a busy man, Basch never really thought of him as the type to stay up late (he seemed more like the type to cherish beauty sleep). And although Basch himself wasn't the nosy type, he truly had nothing better to do with his night/early morning than to do a bit of harmless eavesdropping. Sooner or later he would grow bored and head back to his own r—

"Ah—uh, _Vaan_…"

Well, that was enough to halt all coherent thought at once. Did Balthier just say – no… _moan_ Vaan's name? What the bloody hell were those two doing at this hour?

….Wait.

The ideas flooded Basch's head before he really had a chance to consider them, and the ex-army captain couldn't help but take another step closer to the door in an attempt to hear more of something he, at the same time, didn't really want to know about. But if his senses were right, he'd say they were—

"You like that?" Vaan's own sultry voice leaked through the bottom of the door and he chuckled quietly, and Basch's brow rose to his hairline at the implication of these words. If possible, he pressed himself closer to the door, unable to believe what was going on behind the door.

There was a short moment of silence, and Basch was just about to eliminate his previous assumption (much to his relief) before another gasp was heard.

"Mmmnn – Ah! Yes, _there_…!" a lightly accented, Arcadian voice moaned from the room just beyond Basch's reach, and the man paled considerably. It couldn't be…no, he knew Vaan and Balthier were close, but…it just couldn't be – it wasn't fathomable that they were—

"Am I hitting the right spot?" Basch heard Vaan whisper, and he could hear the grin on the younger blonde's features through that question, that question which was soon answered with,

"Uhn… Yes. _Harder_, Vaan. Right there…" Balthier purred through another gasp.

Another chuckle. "You certainly are enjoying this. And_ gods_, you're tight…"

Basch nearly choked on his own saliva, but somehow held it back as the revelation of what was _really_ going on in that cabin exploded into his mind.

_By the Gods, they're having sex!_

Basch'shands clenched at his sides and he continued to stand there, somehow frozen in place as the actions obscured by the door continued. He simply couldn't believe – could not _believe_ that he had been oblivious to the extent of Vaan and Balthier's relationship. He had witnessed a kiss or two, and certainly caught the boys close together on more than one occasion, but honestly…sex? Vaan wasn't even at the age of consent yet! – though now that he thought about it, sky pirates did tend to take what they want, regardless of age-related trivialities.

And on top of the fact that the two boys, this Rabanastran and Arcadian-gone sky pirate, were _fornicating_ right there in the airship for _anyone _to hear, it appeared (judging by the words exchanged behind that damned door) that Vaan was taking dominance? …Though Basch never thought about those two having sex, he had to admit that it was surprising to him that Balthier wasn't taking that role…

_Stop thinking about this!_ his mind screamed, and Basch tried to move his feet, to escape before he heard the situation escalate any further, but they wouldn't budge off the cold metal floor of the airship. He could only stand there, immobilized by the other half of his mind – the curious half with the unknown-until-now voyeurism kink.

The sounds inside continued. Another quick gasp and pleasured, almost relaxed moan.

"Ah-ahh…_Vaan_… You're good at this." Balthier sighed, and Basch couldn't believe his ears.

"You should let me do this more often," was Vaan's reply, followed by a little chuckle.

"Mmm, perhaps I should. Hey now, love…Don't let up now."

"What, here?" Vaan inquired curiously, and there was silence again for just a precious moment before another moan escaped Balthier's lips.

"Ah… Yes, there. _Right_ there."

Silence again. The next time Basch heard Balthier, it was the sky pirate's groan of frustration.

"…Dammit Vaan, stop teasing me!"

This was followed by a laugh, quick and light and somehow innocent seeing as it came from Vaan.

"Mmmn, you love it."

Basch rubbed his eyes; perhaps this was some screwed-up dream (a nightmare, really) that the Gods were gracing him with ever-so-_mercilessly_ – yes, he was really just asleep in his bed, and none of this was really occurring. There were no sky pirates and desert-thieves engaged in passionate lovemaking throughout the airship, and there was certainly no hint at all that Basch was secretly enjoying on this little spy hour.

It was all a dream… All just a mere dre—

"_Ahn_…! Vaan, I had no idea you were so—mmnnn!"

Vaan chuckled again, the sound light and amused and ever-so-seductive. Basch involuntarily strained to hear more of the youthful boy's breathy voice.

"That I was so good at this? You'd be surprised. I've had more experience than you know."

Barely Basch could hear the sound of bedsprings creaking for just a moment before they stopped again. The voices started up as soon as the sound stopped.

"Ah…Feels so nice…"

"I told you we should do this more often, Balthier," Vaan whispered, and Basch felt a stiffness in his lower half that was only increasing with arousal, much to the man's chagrin.

"I don't know if I can stand it again – you really do take too much pleasure out of teasing me so."

"If you really didn't like it, would you still be under me like this?"

"_Touché_, my love."

It was too much; it was all just too much. Basch had heard and found out enough – no, more than enough. More than he'd ever want to know, about Balthier, about Vaan, and dammit even about _himself_! Among frustration, mortification, and seemingly inevitable and ever-increasing arousal, it was all Basch could do to keep himself from groaning right there on the spot. He had to get away from that blasted door and away from those blasted young and beautiful boys, or he'd regret it later…

Somehow the man regained control of his limbs and slowly he began to creep backwards, away from Balthier's door and the actions going on behind it. Previous dilemma of his thirst forgotten completely, the troubled blonde hurriedly made his way back to his room, increasing his pace as he heard one last moan from the sky pirate.

"_Don't stop…Ahn, Vaan…_"

Basch, who shut his door tight and locked his door for no apparent reason, somehow found sleep that night; his dreams, however, were miles away from chaste and not too far away from his two fellow comrades. Not too far at all…

--

Inside Balthier's candle-lit cabin, the illuminating flames cast animated shadows on the walls, somehow matching the mood of the incense permeating the room. Nestled comfortably on his stomach on top of silk sheets, Balthier closed his eyes briefly and inhaled the scent of the cinnamon-scented incense. He was teetering on the verge of sleep, thoroughly exhausted and deliciously relaxed at the same time.

The weight on his backside soon let up, and with a fond sigh Vaan placed a chaste kiss between Balthier's shoulder-blades before wiping the excess massage oils from his experienced hands onto a discarded cloth by the bedside table. He wasted no time after that settling beside his loved one, raking his hands through Balthier's russet hair and inhaling the sweet scent around them.

"Feeling better, 'Thier?" Vaan asked quietly, and Balthier's eyes cracked open and he gazed at Vaan with tired eyes glazed with a smitten shine.

"Words cannot describe…" he replied lazily, voice somewhat muffled from the black silk sheets pooled around them. This reply made Vaan smile, and he leaned in to kiss Balthier on the lips quickly.

"You've been so tense lately. I knew you needed this," the blonde stated softly, falling into a sleepy stupor like the half-clad sky pirate nestled beside him.

They laid side-by-side, warm torsos pressed against each other. Silence stretched between them for a moment before Vaan's gentle whisper reached Balthier's ears.

"Y'know… _Basch_ has seemed a little uptight lately," he indirectly suggested, and at this implication Balthier whipped his head up and glared.

"Do not let your mind wander, my love. You know I am never opt to sharing my treasures and their talents. Especially if these talents fall under the 'sensual touching' and 'intimate contact' category."

And Vaan merely grinned at this, loving the protective nature Balthier had over him.

"Just an idea," he shrugged, and Balthier settled back down into the sheets while grumbling.

"If I knew you were touching our dear clumsy captain in the same fashion you touched me tonight, I honestly think I might wretch."

"…Me too." Vaan replied, and the two young men laughed quietly, blissfully unaware of the damage they had done to their poor, oblivious, 'clumsy' captain who merely wanted a glass of water.


End file.
